


Cut my noose, and I'll cut yours

by eternal_night_owl



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: Autobot shenanigans, Friendship, Gen, Knock Out caring about someone else for once, M/M, Starscream becoming a little less terrible, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:22:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27291148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eternal_night_owl/pseuds/eternal_night_owl
Summary: All Knock Out wanted to do that day was go for a nice, long drive by himself. Unfortunately for him, fate had other plans, specifically in the form of a Seeker he never thought he'd see again. Takes place post Predacons Rising.
Relationships: Knock Out/Starscream (Transformers), past Breakdown/Knock Out
Comments: 43
Kudos: 95





	1. A Fork in the Road

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! This is my first Transformers fic, and I'm really excited (and nervous lol) to see what everyone thinks. I hope you enjoy!

_Ah, I missed this_ , Knock Out thought as he felt the Cybertron road underneath his tires. A nice, long drive always put him in a good mood, but this one in particular really did the trick. It was the first time since before the war that he was able to do it on his own planet, without having to watch his back. No sneaking off, no worries about Megatron finding out he left and getting chewed out, and best of all, no squishy organics he had to watch out for. Just him and the open road. He didn’t even mind the tracker he was forced to wear whenever he left base by himself, as annoying as it could be most of the time. Nope, today was a good day, and nothing could bring down his spirits! 

Of course, if Knock Out was using his processor he would’ve remembered an old Cybertronian saying: If you offer Primus a challenge, expect him to answer.

As Knock Out continued to speed down the road, he felt a familiar, blue sticky liquid on his tires. Immediately he transformed back, looking down at the ground in disgust. It was energon.

“What the-” 

He eyed the blue drops on the ground, forming a trail towards what looked to be an abandoned building in the distance. As far as he was aware, there were only a handful of Cybertronians on the planet. He knew for a fact that all the Autobots were accounted for, so that only left-

“Nope, I am not getting involved in this,” He told himself. He had seen human horror films, he knew what happened to the characters that went chasing toward obvious danger. He had often laughed at them for being so stupid and getting themselves killed, claiming that he would never make such a foolish mistake in their shoes. 

And yet, his curiosity was killing him. Something happened, someone most likely had gotten hurt, but the question was who? And _how_?

Sighing, he transformed back to his alt mode, and drove alongside the trail, careful not to get anymore of the blue goop on his finish. 

It wasn’t long before he came up to the old abandoned building. Once, it was the place where the Council made Orion Pax a Prime, and later on it was where Megatron held his seat as warlord, after dispatching of said Council members. Now, it was an ancient ruin; nothing but a shadow of what it once had been.

It also, as it turns out, was where a very, very damaged Seeker chose to take refuge.

 _Starscream_ , Knock Out sighed as he transformed. _Primus, can’t you keep yourself out of trouble for five minutes?_

The Seeker was unconscious, lying in a pool of his own energon. Whatever happened to him happened recently, but it appeared as though time was running out.

Knock Out put his audial up against his chassis, and heard the low hum of Starscream’s spark. He was still alive, though barely. 

Knock Out tapped his claws against one another as he wondered what he should do. He didn’t _want_ to get involved, he really didn’t. He was done with Starscream, with all the Decepticons. He saw for himself the kind of mech he was and decided he wanted none of it.

And yet, it was hard to hold on to his anger as he looked at the crumpled up Seeker; deep gashes all over his body, part of his wing missing, and one of his optics barely hanging on by a single wire. 

_C’mon Doc, you know you don’t leave a fellow soldier behind,_ a voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Breakdown told him. _He risked his own plating to save me once._

Knock Out sighed. Damn Starscream, Breakdown, and his stupid, stupid conscience. Damn them all to the Pit. 

“Starscream,” he said, shaking him gently. Generally it was a bad idea to be rough with a patient in such critical condition, but if he couldn’t get him back online soon, he might never wake up at all.

After a moment when he didn’t get an answer, he forced his servo as far back as he could and gave him a sharp slap to the faceplate. A weak cry of pain slipped out from the mech as his optics fluttered open. As soon as he gained awareness of his surroundings, he glared at Knock Out.

“What in Primus’s name are you doing here?” He demanded. Then, trying to sit up, he coughed up energon onto Knock Out’s chassis. The red mech glared back. “Have you come to finish me off, traitor?”

“First of all, learn to keep your bodily fluids to _yourself_ ,” he said, grimacing at the energon stain. “And second of all, you off all people calling me a traitor is a bit like the pot calling the kettle black, don’t you think?”

Starscream’s glare turned confused. “The what calling the _what_?”

“Nevermind, it’s a human euphemism,” Knock Out brushed him off. “And for your information, I was actually planning to _help_ you. But if you’re going to be such a glitch about it…”

“Wait!” Starscream cried as Knock Out started to walk away. Knock Out turned around to look at him, smirking. Starscream sighed.

“What do you want in return?” 

Knock Out looked at the injured mech, the red light from his eyes much dimmer than they should’ve been. In truth, he was planning to help his former Commander out of the goodness of his spark; he couldn’t even think of anything the Seeker had that he’d want anymore. 

Still, if he was making an offer…

“Let’s get you patched up first, and we can talk about it later.” 

Starscream nodded weakly. He tried to shift to his side and winced in pain. "Fragging Predacons," he muttered. "Should've blown them up when I had the chance."

"Predacons did this?!" Knock Out asked. "As in _multiple_?"

"Yes, three to be exact," Starscream said. "You can thank Shockwave for making more."

Knock Out once again looked over Starscream's injuries in amazement. He didn't believe in miracles, but if there were such a thing, it would be the fact that the lithe Seeker was able to take so much punishment and live to tell the tale. 

Of course, the moment he saw the extent of his injuries and resigned himself to help, Knock Out knew he’d need to take him back to the medbay. Now that he knew that there were several angry Predacons on the loose, it only made their need to get back to base all the more urgent. Even though he knew no one would be happy about it.

Cringing inwardly as he anticipated both the Autobots and Starscream’s reaction, he sent a comm call back to base.

 _“Knock Out, I’m surprised to hear from you so soon.”_ Ratchet’s voice came out on the other end. _“Did something happen?”_

“Ratchet?” he asked, looking over at the silver Seeker who was eyeing him suspiciously. “I found Starscream. He’s in critical condition and we need to transport him to the medbay immediately.”

“WHAT!?” cried both Starscream and Ratchet simultaneously. 

_“You want me to bring a dangerous, active Decepticon to the Autobot base!? Are you insane?”_

“I never agreed to that, you traitorous glitch!”

“Listen, I know how it sounds, but if he doesn’t get medical attention soon he will die,” as he explained this to the Autobot medic, he shot Starscream a hard look that screamed _shut up, I’m trying to help you._ For perhaps the first time in his life, Starscream fell silent.

 _“As much as I’d hate to leave a mech to die, even someone like_ Starscream _, it’s not worth the threat he’d pose to the rest of the team. I won’t risk all of our lives for his.”_

“I’m not saying we should be stupid about it,” Knock Out said, matter of factly. “But in his current state, he’s hardly a threat to anyone. We can keep him under restraints and constant supervision while he’s healing.”

A long pause came through from the other end, then an exasperated sigh. _“I’ll groundbridge over to help you transport him. What are his injuries and what do you think he’ll need?”_

After Knock Out explained what had happened to the best of his ability and the damage Starscream sustained, he ended the call. He looked back over at the Seeker, who seemed as though he was about to lose consciousness again. 

“Hey Starscream, you have to stay online, alright? If you black out you might never wake up. Ratchet should be here any minute.”

Starscream nodded weakly. “Do not fear, Knock Out. I have no plans to join the Allspark any time soon. I am not that easily extinguished.” And true to his word, the mech stayed online until he was in the medbay and was put under sedation for surgery. 

As he and Ratchet were fixing up the broken Seeker, Knock Out wasn’t unaware of the fact that all of this was but a temporary solution. If he ran into the Predacons again, alone with no one to help him, all this work would be for naught. There was only one way to make sure Starscream would be safe from those who wanted to hurt him, and neither he nor any of his new teammates were bound to like it...


	2. Friends, Enemies, Other

When Starscream awoke, he found himself to be in a daze. It took him a moment to remember everything that happened that led him up to this point. Megatron leaving, him trying to reunite the Decpeticons under his command, the Predacons cornering him with death in their eyes (specifically, his). Him begging for his life, offering up everything he had or used to have or never had in exchange for his life, knowing it wouldn’t do him any good. Pain, so much pain, more than he had ever experienced in his long, insufferable life. Knock Out, trying to help? No, he must’ve had an ulterior motive. Why would he betray him only to help him later? 

With that thought, he was launched into the present. The Nemesis medbay didn’t look much different than it did the last time he had been here; it was an oddly comforting thought. But he couldn’t let himself get too comfortable. He was in enemy territory now, completely at the mercy of bots who wanted him dead. 

As he looked down at what they had done to him, he was surprised at how well his injuries were healed. All of his gashes had been welded shut, his torn wing reattached (thank Primus!) and he was attached to an IV, presumably to refuel him after all the energon he had lost earlier. He shuddered to think of how much that probably was. 

And finally, his attention was turned towards the two medics in the corner of the room. Both of them were looking intensely at a datapad, with Ratchet pointing something out to Knock Out, who shook his head nodding. 

At the thought of Knock Out, his optics narrowed. This was all _his_ fault. He was the one who betrayed him, helped the Autobots steal the ship he had called his home for so many eons. 

As though he could feel his glare through that shiny red plating of his, Knock Out was the first to take notice of him.

“He’s back online,” Knock Out told Ratchet, sounding disgustingly relieved. The despicable mech must’ve had some gastly plan for him to actually worry about his well being. 

At Knock Out’s words, Ratchet looked up from his work to look at him. “Well, you were right, he did take one hell of a beating,” He then turned his gaze toward the Seeker. 

“You, you’ll be fine, but we’ll need to keep you under observation for a little longer. Just don’t go starting fights with bots who have claws bigger than your faceplates next time. If you run into trouble again, you’re on your own.”  
  
“Excuse me?” Starscream snapped. “Those brutes ganged up on me and attacked me out of nowhere. I did nothing wrong!”

“Oh yes, I’m sure you were completely innocent. Starscream, antagonizing a bot bigger than him? Yeah, that’s never happened before!”

“Why, you filthy Autobot _scum-_ ”

“Who just saved your life, against my better judgement,” Ratchet glared. He then turned to Knock Out. 

“Well, at least we know he’s cognitively aware now, he was pretty out of it when I arrived.” He aimed another glare at the Decepticon before turning back to Knock Out. “He’s not going to offline any time soon. We’ll keep him overnight for observation and then groundbridge him back in the morning if there aren’t any sudden changes.”

Knock Out looked as though he was about to say something, but instead simply nodded. “I’ll keep an optic on him. I’ll let you know if anything exciting happens.”

Ratchet let out a yawn. “Be my guest. I’m going to go recharge for a few hours.”

After the older medic left, Starscream turned his attention to Knock Out, his anger and distrust still burning hot. “So, once again, we meet here, in your medbay. Though I assume it’s _Rachet’s_ medbay now? Even the Autobots wouldn’t be stupid enough to put a turncloak in charge.”

Unfortunately, Knock Out didn’t rise to the bait. “Good old Screamer. I almost forgot how much you like to hear your own voice.” 

He walked over towards Starscream’s berth, checking on his IV. “You know, most bots would say something like ‘Wow Knock Out, thank you for saving my life!’ or, ‘Thanks Knock Out, I owe you one!’ or ‘Oh Knock Out, I never noticed how sexy you were until I saw you in action, please take me on this berth right now-”

“Keep your filthy fantasies to yourself!” Starscream grimaced. The thought of the traitor being so _presumptuous_.

To his great irritation, Knock Out simply laughed. “Oh rest assured, my actual fantasies are _much_ filthier than that, and none of them feature you. I do have standards, you know.” Starscream tried to raise a servos to scratch the smug look off the medic’s face, but quickly discovered that he had been bound to his berth. Right, he remembered Knock Out suggesting that to Ratchet. Fragger.

He gave the red mech the most withering glare he could, one that had sent more than a few Vehicons running in the opposite direction whenever they saw him come near. “I swear to Primus, once I’m released I will rip out your spark in front of your new teammates before doing the same to them and reclaim the Nemesis for the Decepticon cause.”

Knock Out tsked. “You know, that’s no way to talk to someone who just saved your life.”

“Only for your own purposes! Maybe the noble medic act works on the Autobots, but I won’t fall for that scrap.” 

Knock Out looked at him for a moment as though he was about to counter, but instead just smirked. “I did almost miss you Starscream. Your unique mix of pessimism, paranoia, and unbridled rage is quite unlike any other. Maybe I should’ve stayed on your team after all.” 

“Funny you say that now, after you helped the Autobots take over the Nemesis when it was in our grasp.” Starscream shook his head. “I have a long memory, Knock Out. I’ll remember you saving my life today, but I will also remember what you took from me.”

“Oh please, don’t act like you’re not above treachery when it suits you,” Knock Out retorted. “How many times have you tried to kill Megatron to take control of the Decepticons? How many times have you backstabbed one of your fellow teammates to get rid of the competition? What about when _you_ betrayed _me_ to Megatron?” Knock Out narrowed his optics. “You aren’t the only one with a long memory.”

Starscream spluttered. “That was completely different! Megaton would’ve never hurt _you_ , he needed you! You were our only medic! And besides,” he said, folding his arms across his chassis. “I don’t even know why you’re still upset about that. I was the one he took it out on! All he did to you was demote you.”

Knock Out looked as though he was about to retort, then changed his mind. He walked over to his desk and pulled out a chair, taking a seat by Starscream’s berth. 

“You know, I watched Megatron drag you off to do Primus knows what to you, and I felt such a distinct _schadenfreude,_ as the humans say, watching you beg and plead for mercy,” he said, ignoring the other mech’s offended spluttering. “Rewarded as a traitor deserves! But when you came into my medbay, energon leaking everywhere and knocked around to slag, well it wasn’t… fun, anymore.” Knock Out looked away, as though he was admitting some deeply shameful secret. 

“Well, I’m sorry that my misery didn’t provide you with sufficient amusement,” Starscream snorted. No, definitely no noble medic.

Knock Out glared at him. “That’s not the point.”

“Then what _is_ the point?”

“The point is how we treated each other!” Knock Out said, eyebrows forced together in a frown. He sighed.

“Look, we’re Decepticons. Or, we _were_ Decepticons before most of the army got killed off,” Knock Out started. “And part of being a Decepticon is knowing that most everyone was in it for themselves. I knew that when I joined. I already had Breakdown, I didn’t need anyone else,” Knock Out’s figure tensed as he mentioned his deceased sparkmate’s name. 

“And after he was destroyed, I accepted that. I’m a grown mech, I can handle myself. But then you started coming by my medbay more often, not to get your arm reattached or to get some pain medication after a beating, but just to talk. Well, complain mostly,” He smirked. “It was nice, for a while. Almost made up for the rest of the time when you decided to be a glitch. But in the end I knew I couldn’t trust you. So when I got a better offer I left,” he shrugged. “I wasn’t going to stick around to be your punching bag.”

At that, A familiar, very old memory popped up in Starscream’s memory banks.

_“Why am I always your punching bag?” A younger version of himself sobbed after Lord Megatron let out his wrath on him yet again. They had suffered a recent string of losses from their battles with the Autobots, and the head of the Decepticon army put all the blame onto his shoulders._

_It wasn’t his fault! They were practically starving; they hadn’t found any new energon deposits in weeks and Seekers especially needed continuous, high quality energon to perform at peak capacity. Not that his Lord cared when he tried to explain it to him._

_“Because,” Megatron growled. “You keep disappointing me. Do you think I enjoy doing this?”_

_Of course, Megatron helped bandage up his wounds later. It was still the early days of war, when Megatron still saw him as his protege rather than just a nuisance. He even apologized, admitting that he shouldn’t have let his temper get the better of him. And Starscream forgave him. He even promised he’d do better next time, that he wouldn’t give Megatron a_ reason _to lose his temper again._

_What a stupid, sheltered, naive little mechling he was back then._

He narrowed his eyes at Knock Out. “You want to talk about being a punching bag? I could tell you all about it. I would’ve killed to have Megatron just scratch my paint job when he was angry instead of beating me half to death.”

“There you go again, blaming everyone but yourself for your actions,” Knock Out said, getting up out of his chair. “If only Megatron was nicer, if only Shockwave wasn’t out for your job. Maybe you need to take a step back and ask yourself if you aren’t the problem.” 

Starscream gritted his dentae. If only he wasn’t being restrained at the moment…

“Where exactly are you going with all of this?”

“Where I’m going with this,” Knock Out said, “is that if you want to survive, you’re going to have to work together with other bots instead of tearing them down. The war is over, and right now, we’re pretty much the only Cybertronians left. I doubt you’ll last long on your own.”

Starscream bristled. “I can survive just fine on my own, thank you. And I don’t see what you could suggest I do otherwise.”

“Well for starters, you could do the smart thing and join the Autobots.” 

Starscream spluttered. If he had been drinking a cube of energon he would’ve spit it out. “ _Excuse_ me?”

“If you did, you wouldn’t have to worry about the Predacons anymore. You’d be better off here than you would anywhere else.”

“Until Arcee shoots me in my sleep.”

“You are over exaggerating, she would only attack you while you were awake. Probably.”

Starscream glared at him. “Yes, that’s very reassuring, thank you. I’ll go get my Autobot insignia welded on right now.”

“Well,” Knock Out said. “It’s the Autobots or the Predacons. I know which I’d choose.”

“Yes, but you weren’t the one who killed her _precious_ Cliffjumper.”

Knock Out snorted. “That’s what you get for not keeping your mouth shut.”

Starscream was about to bite back with his own retort, but nothing came. Knock Out _did_ have a point. At least with the Autobots, he could be fairly sure they wouldn’t attack him without reason or warning. The Predacons, however, would kill him on sight. And judging by how painful their last attempt on his life was, he was not eager to go through it again. 

“Even if I was to agree to become an _Autobot_ ,” he spat out the word as though it were poison. “They would never let me join. They don’t trust me to not kill them in their sleep.” Which of course he wouldn’t do. Not unless it benefited him in some way.

“I could vouch for you,” Knock Out offered. “The Autobots may hate you, but they’re also unlikely to throw you out when your life is in danger unless you give them a very good reason to.” He then gave Starscream a hard look. “So don’t.”

Starscream sighed. Could he really be an Autobot? The very thought of it turned his tanks inside out. If Megatron even knew he was entertaining the idea he’d scrap him for sure.

But Megatron wasn’t here. He left Cybertron, he disbanded the Decepticons and gave up on the cause. He gave up on _him._

After everything he’s done to support him, after he had finally proven himself loyal, he still did what he always did best and threw him out like trash.

And yet Knock Out, a mech who was only ever loyal to himself (and perhaps Breakdown, before he was offlined) was here, saving his life and trying to convince him to join his side. Which begged the question…

“Why?” Starscream asked, looking Knock Out in the optics. “Why are you doing this?”

“Doing what?”

“Saving my life! Trying to get me to join the Autobots! Why do you care? What are you trying to do?”

Knock Out was silent for a moment and when he gazed back at Starscream, he looked tired. “All I care about now is helping to rebuild Cybertron. We won’t get anywhere by holding on to old grudges or factions. We need all the bots we can get, the few that are still alive, to help bring life back into our planet.” 

Starscream thought about that. A new Cybertron, where there would be a whole new generation who had never seen battle, who would learn about the war and Decepticons and Starscream’s legacy only through their school datapads. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

He still didn’t believe Knock Out completely when he said that the well-being of Cybertron was his only motivation for everything he had done for him, but at the moment, what other choice did he have but to play along?

“Alright, I will think about it,” Starscream said. “I’ve done worse to save my own plating.”

Knock Out laughed. “Same here. But it’s better than being dead.” 

As Starscream laughed along with Knock Out, he felt a twinge in his spark that he hadn’t felt in so long that it was almost foreign; the feeling that everything just might be okay.


	3. Decisions, Decisions

“You want us to do _what_?!”

“Did someone scramble your circuits?”

“What in Primus’s name were you _thinking_?”

Knock Out sighed as the barrel of complaints and insults washed over him like a tidal wave. Yes, he expected as much, but still, it was annoying.

He looked around at all the faces staring back at him incredulously. They were all sitting at what used to be the round table on the Nemesis. Theoretically, it was supposed to be a place where Megatron would listen to and get advice from his highest ranking officers. In reality, it was the place where he would bark out orders, and they’d do whatever he said without question (if they were smart).

Now, instead of Megatron at the head, it was Ultra Magnus. After Optimus’s death, he had taken over as leader for the time being. He could feel the weight of the bigger bot’s careful gaze on him. Perhaps it was because he didn’t quite know what to make of his quiet, imposing energy yet, or simply because this very room seemed to leak tension in the air as though it were poison, but Knock Out felt himself squirm in his seat. 

He was starting to question his choice to stand up for his former Commander.

“Look, I know Starscream is, shall we say, _difficult,_ and many of you have had disagreements with him in the past-”

“ _Disagreements_? That’s putting it mildly.” Arcee narrowed her optics. She was seated on Ultra Magnus’s left side, in a chair with legs much taller than anyone else’s to accommodate her small frame. 

“Okay true, but… how much damage could one mech do, against the rest of us? And besides, for all his many, many flaws, Starscream isn’t stupid. He’s not going to attack us when he knows he’d lose.”

“No, of course not. He’d wait until we were in recharge, or off by ourselves, or poison the energon, or…” Arcee shook her head. “The point is, we can’t trust him. I don’t want to spend the next eon watching my back.”

Knock Out exhaled. He knew Arcee would be the hardest to convince, and he couldn’t blame her hesitation. He hadn’t promised Starscream anything, (and even if he did, Starscream had gone back on his own word countless times himself) only that he would try to convince the Autobots to let him stay. And if he couldn’t… well, then the Seeker was on his own.

Still, it would be unfortunate to throw him out to die after they had put so much work into saving him.

He turned his gaze toward Bumblebee sitting next to him. The yellow bot’s eyebrows were slanted in weariness and apprehension, different from the stone wall of fury that encapsulated most of the others. If he was going to convince anyone here, it would be him. He put on his most charming smile and got to work.

“Bumblebee, surely you must see that this is the only reasonable solution? You wouldn’t want to throw out a defenseless mech to be torn apart by Predacons, would you?”

Bumblebee fidgeted, looking around at his other teammates. “Well no, but Arcee has a point, Knock Out. How can we trust him enough to let him live with us?”

“You let me join, even though I’m an ex-Con.”

“Yeah well, that’s different!”

Knock Out raised an eyebrow. “How so?”

“You didn’t kill-” Bumblebee shot a cautious glance over at Arcee. “You didn’t kill our friend.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t have trusted you either,” Arcee cut in. “Why are you trying to get us to let Starscream become an Autobot anyway? Weren’t you the one who betrayed him because you couldn’t trust him? How do we know that you two weren’t planning this all along?” 

Knock Out shot her an incredulous look. “Are you _really_ suggesting that Starscream let himself get attacked on purpose just to be an Autobot?”

“I’m _suggesting,_ ” Arcee said through her denta, “That you and Starscream had a plan to team up and saw a good opportunity.” 

Knock Out felt his anger flare up. “If you don’t want to believe me, then fine! Throw Starscream to the Predacons for all I care! I just thought maybe you of all people would want to make Optimus proud. Wasn’t he always willing to give everyone a second chance?”

Arcee’s eyes lit up like the flames from the Pit. She pushed herself off her chair and stomped towards him. “Don’t you dare talk about Optimus to me!”

He got up from his own chair and looked down at her. “Why not? Because I’m a no-good Decepticon who’s plotting to kill you all?”

“Guys, guys, stop it!” Bumblebee cried, getting up and holding out both servos to block them from getting any closer to each other. 

Knock Out felt the accusing optics of the Autobots on him. At this, he forced himself to calm down. Getting into an altercation with their longtime teammate while he was a relative newcomer would certainly not do him any favors.

He held up his hands in surrender and took a few steps back. “Er, my apologies Arcee. I seem to have gotten a bit carried away. I’m simply looking to do what’s best for everyone.”

Arcee continued to glare at him for a few moments, then glanced at Bumblebee’s pleading face and sighed. 

“Whatever,” she mumbled. “I think it was a bad idea to let him here at all.” She narrowed her optics at Ratchet. He threw his servos up in surrender.

“It wasn’t my idea,” he defended. “And I was just trying to be a good medic. Trying to do what I thought Optimus would’ve wanted.”

At that, there was a thoughtful silence that hung in the air. Bulkhead and Smokescreen fidgeted, Wheeljack glared at the ground, Bumblebee shot Knock Out a guilty look, and Arcee’s glare softened.

“Yes, we should all try to follow in Optimus’s pedesteps,” Ultra Magnus spoke up. “And part of that means giving each and every bot in attendance a chance to voice their thoughts without resorting to violence,” He sent a glare towards Arcee and Knock Out.

“I wasn’t going to-” Acree started, but Ultra Magnus rose his servo to silence her. 

“We shall set this to a vote,” he continued. “Since there are an even number of us, I will refrain from voting myself to avoid a tie. I know everyone here has strong feelings about Starscream, but before you make your decision, I encourage you to think of what would be best for the team, as well as Cybertron.”

“Well, I think we should give him a shot,” Smokescreen spoke up first. As everyone turned to look at him, his cheeks blushed blue.

“I-I mean, I don’t like him anymore than you guys do. He’s a huge jerk and a Decepticreep… but so was Knock Out, and he’s not too bad.”

“Wow, thanks. I’m so touched,” Knock Out snarked. Still, he couldn’t ignore the warm glow of hope that he had at least one ally.

Smokescreen gave him a sheepish look. “I just mean, what’s the harm in giving him a chance? If he goes all evil on us, we can kick him out then. But I don’t like the idea of sending someone out defenseless where they would probably be killed, even a bad guy like Starscream.”

“Smokescreen, you don’t know what he’s like,” Arcee spoke up. “The mech is ruthless, sadistic, and would shoot you in the back the second your turn around. I know you’re too young to remember the early years of the war-”

“I’m not a _sparkling_ , Arcee,” he shot her a glare. “I know what I’m doing, and I think we should try to see the best in everyone.”

“Soldier, I understand you have a history with Starscream, but I’d suggest you keep your comments to yourself until it is your turn. This is a decision that requires everyone’s input, not just yours.” Ultra Magnus warned, looking directly at Arcee. She frowned, but otherwise didn’t respond further. 

“Now,” Ultra Magnus said. “Bumblebee?”

Bumblebee looked around at everyone. “I’m not comfortable with the idea of throwing someone out to their death either, especially now when the war just ended and we’re starting to rebuild our world.” Bumblebee explained. “Maybe we could give it a try? He was Megatron’s Second in Command for millennia, and a scientist before that. If we can win him over to our side, he could be useful.”

Ultra Magnus gave him a nod, acknowledging his opinion without commenting on it. “Knock Out?”

“Yes,” Knock Out answered immediately. “Besides the reasons already stated, believe me when I say that you’d much rather have Starscream _on_ your side than against you. If we throw him out and he survives, he could come back for revenge.”

Ultra Magnus turned toward the other medic. “Ratchet?”

The medic pursed his lips. “No. Like I said before, I won’t risk the team for Starscream’s sake.”

Knock Out turned toward him with an exasperated look. “You don’t think-”

“Look, I’m not saying that you, all of you, don’t have good points.” He looked at everyone present to make his point. “Starscream’s abilities would be beneficial to us, and I’d hate to turn my back on a patient; even when that patient is a sworn enemy. But, we need to think about who we’re talking about here. Starscream is an infamous traitor. How many times has he tried to kill Megatron for his own gain? Or when he left his fellow teammates behind to save his own aft? If that’s how he treated the people on _his own side_ , why wouldn’t he turn around and do the exact same to us?”

Knock Out wanted to retort, but as much as he hated to admit it… Ratchet had a point. As one of the bots who Starscream had thrown under the bus when it became convenient, he couldn’t defend him on that front. 

Ultra Magnus moved on to the next bot. “Wheeljack?”

“Slag no,” he said immediately, moving closer to Arcee. “Ratchet’s right, we can’t trust him. And even if we could, that doesn’t mean we should be expected to forgive and forget like these past four million years didn’t happen. He’s made his berth, now he can lie in it.”

At that, Arcee gave him a softer smile than Knock Out had ever thought her capable of. “Thank you, Wheeljack.”

“Arcee?”

“No,” she replied. Her voice was quiet and calm. “You already know my reasons.”

Ultra Magnus nodded. “We are currently at three to three. Bulkhead, you’re the deciding vote.”

The big green bot glanced nervously at everyone else. “Listen, you guys… you know Screamer and I don’t exactly get along. And if I’m being honest, I wouldn’t exactly be sparkbroken to hear that he kicked the bucket after everything he’s done,” he sighed. “But, Optimus would’ve given him a chance. And if we want a shot of rebuilding Cybertron, we need all the bots we can get.” He shot an apologetic look towards Arcee and Wheeljack.

“And you think that _Starscream_ is going to cooperate with us?” Arcee glared at him.

Bulkhead put his servos up in defense. “Look, I don’t pretend to know what goes on in that messed up processor of his. But if it’s his life on the line, I think he’d be willing to do just about anything. So if for nothing else, I think we should at least try it out.”

“That makes the vote four to three. Meaning that for the time being, Starscream will stay here,” Ultra Magnus announced. 

At this news, Arcee looked down to avoid optic contact. “Fine, if that’s what you all want. I’ll be in my quarters if anyone needs me.” She hopped off her seat and transformed, speeding out of the room.

“Soldier, I did not dismiss you! Get back here now!”

“Don’t be too hard on her, she just needs time,” Wheeljack said, stopping Ultra Magnus from chasing after her. “Let me handle it.”

At that, Wheeljack raced off to chase after the angry blue motorcycle.

The tension in the room became so thick you could cut it with a knife. As the silence persisted, Knock Out worried that his insistence on letting Starscream join their ranks would make more trouble for him in the future. As a fairly recent Decepticon himself, his standing with the Autobots was already on shaky ground.

But, he told himself, a majority of them did agree with him. That had to count for something, right?

“Maybe I should’ve voted to kick him out,” Bulkhead spoke up, looking down at the ground. “I knew how much Arcee cared about Cliffjumper. I never wanted to hurt her.”

…Or maybe not.

“Hey,” Bumblebee put his servo on his shoulder. “You voted for what you thought was right, and that’s all we can ask. We all disagree with each other sometimes.”

“Yeah, but I don’t think it was my place-”

“Arcee will be okay,” Bumblebee promised. “We’ve all lost people we care about in the war. Her loss was just the most recent.”

At this, Bulkhead seemed to perk up a bit. He patted Bumblebee’s servo with his own. “Thanks, Bee.” 

“Well, now that we have reached a decision,” Ultra Magnus said. “It’s time to go break the news to our newest recruit.”

***

Starscream was trying to settle himself into recharge. But, when a group of your mortal enemies are deciding your fate and the only ally you have could be described as a frenemy _at best_ , it tends to make the processor go into overdrive.

He squirmed around on his berth, still locked in his restraints. Primus, couldn’t they at least have laid him down in a better position? His wings were aching! 

Of course, it’s not like he’d expect a bunch of grounders to know anything about _that._

He was interrupted from his internal grumbling when the doors to the medbay opened, revealing Ultra Magnus along with Ratchet and Knock Out. 

For a second, he wondered why the Prime wasn’t here to tell him his fate, but then remembered what Knock Out had told him. Apparently the big lug had sacrificed himself for “the good of all Cybertronian kind,” or some Autobot nonsense like that. 

It was a shame, really. If he had been here, no doubt he would have insisted that they give him a chance, along with making some overly long speech about forgiveness and turning the other cheek that would’ve made even Arcee tear up and renounce her grudge. 

As the new Autobot leader and the two medics shuffled in, the rest of the Autobots stayed in the doorway and watched. All of the sudden he felt very exposed; locked up, alone, and surrounded by enemies, most of whom wouldn’t mind if he had his spark ripped out of his chest right in front of them. He bristled.

“What is all this about?” Starscream demanded.

“You know very well what this is about, soldier,” said Ultra Magnus. “We have come to a decision regarding your fate.”

Starscream sucked in a breath. “Well, get on with it then.”

Knock Out broke out into one of his signature smirks. “Welcome to the team.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uh, yeah. I guess this is a multichapter now. I just couldn't let the idea go lol.
> 
> The Wheeljack/Arcee bit came as a surprise to me too. I don't particularly ship them but I think it works. I doubt they'll be getting a ton of focus but eh, Arcee could use someone on her side who understands her. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading! Reviews are always appreciated!


	4. Ain't No Rest for the Wicked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, I'm not dead, I swear! Just had a few things going on in my personal life that kept me busy for awhile.
> 
> I went back and made a few small edits, if you want to go check them out. Most of it was just formatting and grammar, though I did change it so Knock Out didn't find Starscream until after the Predacon attack in the first chapter, rather than during it. I feel like it makes more sense this way since it's not cutting events too close together. 
> 
> TW for this chapter: Panic Attacks

“What I don’t understand,” he started. “Is why you’re locking me up like some common criminal. I have joined your side! Surely you see that I’d be of better use to you helping to rebuild our war-torn planet than locked up in some dark cell with nothing to do?” He let out an indignant squawk as he felt Ultra Magnus push him into the empty holding cell. 

“Your skill set has not gone unnoticed, soldier,” Ultra Magnus responded, his voice flat and unmoving. “But neither have your past affiliations. You will be let out when we require your assistance. Once you have proven yourself worthy of it, you will be granted greater freedoms and privileges.”

Starscream grumbled as he lifted up his servos so Ultra Magnus could remove his stasis cuffs. He still couldn’t believe he agreed to this.

Admittedly, he felt relieved when he heard that the Autobots were letting him join their team. For about five seconds.

After they explained the conditions of his acceptance into the faction, he became a panicking mess. Being kept in a confined space, all by himself. Having an I/D chip placed inside him so he can’t transform or use his weapons unless an Autobot allows him to. Or, so the Autobots could blow him to pieces if he ever decided to betray them.

 _“Wheeljack’s idea,”_ Ratchet explained when he inserted the cursed thing inside of him. He glanced over at Knock Out, who was watching the procedure being done in silence.

 _“What about him?”_ he asked, glaring over at the red medic. _“Did_ he _get one too?”_

_“Knock Out is a medic. He needs access to his built in medical tools to do his job, especially when I’m away doing my duties on earth. But he has a tracker, just like you, so we can make sure we know where he’s at at all times.”_

Of course, that was just an excuse, and he knew it. This wasn’t just about the team’s safety or him being a Decepticon. No, if it was, Knock Out would be right down here with him. This was _personal_.

Starscream watched in silence as Ultra Magnus locked his cell door and walked away. The brig was almost completely dark, though as a Seeker, his optics were far more powerful than that of the average Cybertronian. He took a look at the contents inside his new living space, even though there wasn’t much to see.

The area was pretty sparse, with just a berth in the corner and a mirror bolted into the wall beside it. Realizing he hadn't seen his own reflection since the attack, he walked over to check the damage, and immediately regretted it. To say he looked awful would be the understatement of the century. 

His wings, face, and chest had weld marks all over to mend the gashes those dreaded beasts tore into him. There was one right over his optic, which made him wince. Did they actually claw out his _optic_? He couldn’t remember. After the first few swipes all his mind could process was an endless stream of pain and agony. 

He hated this, all of this. The attack, the Autobots, the confinement. And now, even his looks, the one thing he could always count on, were gone too. 

In a fit of rage, he pulled back his servo and swiped at the mirror with his claws, imagining it was Predaking and his lackeys instead. He stared at the pieces of shattered glass on the ground that reflected his own faceplate back at him, and kicked them to the other side of the cell.

Starscream growled, and paced back and forth in the tiny cell. His wings twitched in agitation as the silence all around threatened to swallow him whole. It felt like the very walls were closing around him and he couldn’t do anything about it but wait to be squished. It took him back millions of years, back when he was just a grad student and the Academy wanted him gone and _Skyfire-_

_No, no!_ He scolded himself. _We’re not going down that road! Absolutely not!_ But his vents were on, coming out fast and shallow, and he could see his shaking servos. He forced his vents to slow down, and took a seat on the berth. 

He should’ve never listened to Knock Out! Yes, the Predacons were a threat, but if he found Shockwave and showed him what they had done to him, surely he could’ve convinced the scientist that they were dangerous, no-good weapons of destruction. He would’ve been able to figure out a way to terminate them, and they could’ve worked together to rebuild the Decepticon army as more refugees came back and new sparklings were born. But no, now he was trapped in here for Primus knows how long.

Once again, awareness for how vulnerable and powerless and _confined_ he was filled his processor until it was all he could think of. Anyone, anyone at all could come down here and shoot him dead. It would be that easy. Of course, his rational mind told him that if the Autobots wanted him gone, they could’ve easily let him die from the Predacon attack, or killed him themselves. And yet, they didn’t. But when his rationality went up against his paranoia, it rarely ever won.

Usually in times like these, he’d be able to do _something_ to keep his processor occupied, except now there was literally nothing he could do. So, he decided to do the only thing he could; force himself into recharge. Perhaps it wouldn’t help his situation, but at the very least it would delay his descent into madness.

At least, that’s what he told himself.

***

He was back on Cybertron, locked in a dark cell that looked as though it hadn’t been cleaned in ages. He recognized the rust that covered the walls, and the blue stains that knew came from the spilled energon of bots before him. He recognized the scratches on the door that he knew were from his own claws, back when he still believed there was hope. For a while, he cried and begged for the guards to let him out, to let him explain how this was all a huge misunderstanding. After a while he realized that it didn’t matter; no one cared, and no one would help him.

But most of all, he recognized the cacophony of screaming and crying from the cells beside his. He could hear them now, the cries of _please, I didn’t do it!_ and _please, let me see my conjunx, just one more time! I’m not ready to die!_ Others were angry, threatening bodily harm if they weren’t let out right this instant. They went on, day in, day out, even in his dreams. 

The large metal door creaked opened, revealing a tank of a guard who towered over him. “Starscream, the judge wants to see you to make his final judgement on your fate.” He held out a pair of stasis cuffs, waiting for the Seeker to give him his servos. With his spark in his throat, Starscream did as he was told, and allowed himself to be led out.

As he was led down the corridor, his mind raced on how he could possibly defend himself. He knew it was all a sham; they just wanted him dead and gone so they no longer had to deal with him. But he had to at least try, didn’t he?

As he walked inside, all optics were on him. Bots of all kinds from all over Cybertron sat in the audience glaring at him as though he was the scum beneath their pedes.

 _Monster, murderer, criminal,_ were the words they whispered to one another in hushed voices.

“Order in the court. Now that the defendant is in attendance, we shall proceed,” yelled out a familiar voice. Starscream froze. It couldn’t be…

“Skyfire!?” He gasped when he saw the judge’s face. Happiness and relief washed over him. He was alive! Starscream was free! They could leave this wretched place and start their lives anew and Starscream could finally tell him how he felt-

“I said, order in the court!” Skyfire glared at him, with none of the warmth and kindness Starscream remembered from him. He felt a chill in his spark that something was very wrong.

“Starscream, you are on trial for the murder of Skyfire, your former partner. How do you plead?”

Starscream stared at him, uncomprehending. “But Skyfire, it’s me. And you’re alive! How could I have possibly killed you when you’re standing right there-”

Skyfire sighed. “We do not have all day to listen to your babble. Do you plead guilty, or not guilty?”

Starscream gave him a puzzled look. Yes, something was definitely wrong here.

“N-not guilty,” he stuttered out, unsure of what else to say.

“I see,” Skyfire replied. “I have evidence here that says you left Cybertron on a mission to Earth with your partner, and returned without him, is this true?”

“Well, yes, but-” 

“And is it true that you have had trouble controlling your temper in the past? According to my records, you had been arrested three times in the past solar cycle alone for getting into fights.”

“What does that have anything to do with-”

“And is it true that you were seen having a heated argument with the victim before you left on the mission? It has been stated here by your fellow students Sunwalker and Moonstar that you called your partner a “useless fragger” and told him you “would be glad to get rid of him?” 

Starscream swallowed as his argument with his friend replayed in his head. If only he knew what was going to happen on that trip…

“ _Skyfire_ ,” he said, his voice pleading. “Please, I don’t know what’s going on, but you have to listen to me. I only said those things because I was angry that you wanted to stay in Iacon after graduation instead of coming back to Vos, I never wanted to get rid of you! I did everything I could to save you!”

“Likely story. Do you have anyone here today that can confirm your story, or that can attest to your character?”

Starscream felt his spark drop. All it took was one look at the glaring optics around the room to know that not a single bot here would be willing to stand up for him. 

“Skyfire, you have to believe me!” Starscream pleaded. “I searched half the globe looking for you! It was freezing! If I had stayed to look any longer I would’ve died myself! Please, I’m being framed!”

“I think I’ve heard enough!” The bot who looked like Skyfire announced. “Starscream, you are hereby convicted of murder. You are sentenced to die by firing squad.”

“What?!” Starscream shrieked. “No, please, you can’t! Skyfire!”

But Skyfire was no longer there. The scenery around him changed, until he was no longer standing in a courtroom, but in the Arctic. The blistering cold clung to him and he shivered, all alone. 

“Skyfire!” he called out again. “Skyfire, please! I didn’t mean to abandon you!”

“Skyfire is no longer here.”

Starscream whipped his head around, coming face to face with his old master.

“Megatron!” he breathed, running towards the bigger bot. “Thank the Allspark! Something very strange is going on. We need to find a way to get out of here before we both offline-”

Wordlessly, Megatron aimed his blaster at Starscream’s head. The Seeker froze.

“M-Megatron, what are you doing-”

“Silence!” he yelled. “You have failed me for the last time, Starscream. I have come back here for one purpose only; to rid myself and all of Cybertron from the likes of you.”

“Master,” Starscream questioned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about-”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about. Did you not join the Autobots? Our mortal enemies who stole Cybertron from my grasp?”

“I didn’t have a choice!” Starscream cried. “Shockwave’s beasts were after me! You disbanded the Decepticons! I didn’t have anywhere else to go!”

“You always were a coward. Willing to grovel to whoever offered you a little bit of protection. I shouldn’t be surprised.”

A flash of anger came over Starscream. He narrowed his optics and stormed toward the bigger bot. “I wouldn’t have needed to join the Autobots if you didn’t leave! I wanted to help you raise an army and take over our world! If anyone here is a coward it’s _you_ for disbanding the cause as if these last four million years didn’t matter!”

Megatron’s optics blazed with fury and instantly Starscream regretted the outburst.

“I’ve given you far too many chances in the past, but now, I’m done with you.” He brought the blaster so close to Starscream’s faceplates that he could feel the heat.

“Master, please! Don’t terminate me!” He fell to his knees and looked up at the warlord, desperately searching for some type of mercy in his optics. But there was nothing.   
  
“Goodbye, Starscream.”

Before he could say anything else, he was blinded by a bright flash of light. 

***

Starscream woke up with a start. His vents were whirling like crazy, and his optics darted around the cell, wincing at a bright light in his optics. Panic rose up within him.

He was dead. It was all real and he was dead. At least there wasn’t any pain, but still he was dead, terminated, gone- 

“Starscream?”

The Seeker screamed when he heard a voice coming from his cell door. When his optics adjusted enough to see the mech’s faceplates, he realized it was the young Autobot recruit, the blue and yellow sports car with an unhealthy attachment to the Phase Shifter. Not Megatron with his blaster.

“Geez, I didn’t mean to scare you like that,” the Autobot said, putting his servos up in apology. He lowered his voice. “Try to keep it down, will you? I’m not supposed to be here.”

Starscream narrowed his optics at the young bot. “For Primus’s sake, turn those things down! You’re giving me a helmache.”

“What? Oh, right! Sorry. It’s just so dark down here, you know? I don’t know how you can see anything,” The bot babbled on as he dimmed his headlights a few notches. 

Starscream sized up the Autobot. He didn’t _think_ he would try to kill him, but he made a mental note to himself to keep his claws ready just in case. “What do you want, newspark?”

The Autobot bristled. “My _name_ is Smokescreen. And I just, y’know, wanted to meet you in person for myself. Since we’re gonna be fighting on the same team now and all.”

“In other words, you wanted to come gawk at the big bad Decepticon like some carnival attraction?”

“What? No, it's not like that!” The Autobot defended himself. “I guess I just wanted to get to know you, what it was like being a Decepticon and all. I mean I’ve heard the stories, but never from a first bot account.”

Starscream rolled his optics. “Go back to your Autobot friends, sparkling. I have better things to do than waste my time on someone like you.”

Smokescreen looked around the cell with an amused expression. “Yeah, I can really tell that you got a _lot_ of exciting things to do down here. Basically a one mech party.”

Starscream gritted his dentae. “If you are quite done insulting a prisoner of war, who is _still_ healing from a vicious Predacon attack that nearly cost him his life, then feel free to leave.” 

Smokescreen’s expression turned apologetic. “Hey, I was just messing around, I’m sorry. But I really am interested in hearing more about you. Is it true that you once held off three hundred Autobots with only twenty Seekers?” 

Starscream stared at the Autobot in surprise. Was he really interested in knowing about him and his accomplishments? 

Once again, his rational mind spoke up, telling him that it could easily be a trap. This could all just be a way for the Autobots to find out more intel about him so they could use it against him. But on the other hand, his ego was telling him that _of course_ the young bot was interested, as well he should be. Starscream was quite an interesting and talented mech, after all.

And when his rational mind and his ego fought for dominance, his ego usually won.

“Well, _Smokescreen_ ,” he purred. “I’ll be happy to fill you in on the gaps in education the Autobots undoubtedly left you with. Come, let’s have a chat.”


	5. Ethics and Autobots

“-and that was how we managed to overtake an entire Autobot base overnight. The slaggers never even saw it coming!” Starscream chuckled. He looked over at the young Autobot, who was hanging on to his every word. 

“Wow, that’s pretty impressive! You must’ve been going pretty fast to be able to pull something like that off.”

“My personal record is 1,319 miles per hour,” Starscream preened, fluttering his wings. “I was the best flyer in my class as a sparkling back in Vos. And I went to a top school, where only the best and the fastest were allowed in. If you couldn’t fly at at least 700 miles per hour, they wouldn’t let you through the door.”

“Yeah, well I’m the fastest grounder around,” Smokescreen said, puffing up his chassis with pride. “Bumblebee is pretty close, but when we’ve raced I almost always won. Knock Out swears he’s faster than both of us, but every time I challenge him to put his money where his mouth is he starts talking about how he doesn’t want to ruin his finish. I say he’s just being a scaredy bot.”

Starscream rolled his optics. “That’s hardly an accomplishment. Even the fastest of grounders couldn’t compare to the weakest of flyers,” Starscream said. The young bot’s faceplate fall slightly, but didn’t pay it any mind. “And anyhow, I thought the whole reason you came down here was to learn about the Decepticons, as well as myself. Not prattle on about you and your Autobot friends.”

“Sorry,” Smokescreen said, his expression sullen. “I just thought since we were talking, that you’d want to know a little bit about me too. Seems only fair.” 

“Fair?” Starscream asked incredulously. “If you want to talk about being fair, then I wouldn’t be stuck in this disgusting cell talking to an Autobot child while my fellow ex-Decepticon is allowed to roam around as though he owns the place.” 

“Knock Out is a medic, we need him available to help us if something happens,” Smokescreen countered. “And besides, he did save your life. You should be grateful.”

“Oh yes, I’m _so_ grateful that I’m being held prisoner in what used to be _my_ ship! That I owe my life to the mech who betrayed me and showed nothing but a complete disregard for anything we spent millennia fighting for! Why shouldn’t I feel all warm and fuzzy about _that_?”

Smokescreen sighed. “You could at least try to see the positive side of all this. Ultra Magnus said this was only temporary anyway. Once you prove you’re loyal, you won’t be locked up anymore and can live with the rest of us.”

Starscream sneered. “Yes, live with you and the Autobots. I can hardly wait.”

A tension formed between the two, neither quite looking at the other or speaking for a few minutes. Smokescreen, not one who was comfortable with silence in general, eventually broke it with a sigh.

“You don’t like me very much, do you?”

Starscream looked at him in puzzlement. Why on Cybertron would he think that _he_ , Air Commander and Second-in-Command to the Decepticons, would give a frag about a random Autobot he barely knew in the first place?

“I honestly don’t know how to respond to that.” 

The Autobot sighed. “It’s just- almost everyone still treats me like a kid, even Bumblebee. He’s the same age as I am and even _he_ treats me like I’m some annoying little brother he has to keep an optic on. And now that the war is over everyone is so busy trying to rebuild Cybertron that they don’t have time to talk or watch movies or do _anything_ fun, and when they do they all just hang out with each other instead and act like they don’t want me around,” he sighed, taking a seat on the ground and pulling his knees up to his chassis. 

Starscream blinked. The Autobot was like an open book, positively _radiating_ insecurity and desperation and not even trying to hide it. He bit back a smirk as he began to form a plan in his mind.

“Ah yes, interfaction drama. We had our fair share of that with the Decepticons as well,” he let out a long dramatic sigh. “I never quite fit in with my side either. Not with Shockwave, who tried to kill me and steal my job. Or Soundwave, who tried to ignore my existence as much as possible. Even my own armada preferred the company of each other over me, their leader,” he looked down, his wings drooping. 

“And Megatron, well he was the worst of them all. If I dared to even think about stepping out of line, he… w-well, he would-” he stammered, looking down.

“Hey, hey, it’s alright,” the Autobot soothed. He reached his arm through the space between the bars and gently patted the Seeker on the shoulder. He made a conscious effort to keep from flinching away. “Don’t worry, I know Megatron was bad news. No matter what he did I promise I won’t tell anyone if you don’t want me too.”

“But why?” Starscream asked, looking bewildered. “I’m a Decepticon, your enemy. Why should you care what Megatron did to me?”

“Because you’re with us now, and we protect our own,” Smokescreen squeezed his shoulder in what was most likely supposed to be a comforting gesture. Again, Starscream fought to keep the annoyance off his faceplates.

He let out a choked sob for good measure before nodding his helm. “Thank you Smokescreen. It’s been a long time since I had anyone who was willing to listen.”

Starscream took a minute to pull himself together before turning back to Smokescreen with round, fearful optics. “He would beat me horrifically in front of the others for any slight, real or imagined. He thought nothing of ripping off my wings, breaking my arms, or throwing me across the room like a ragdoll when he saw fit. It didn’t matter if I was plotting against him or trying to help, as long as he got to take his anger out on someone. If he was feeling generous, he’d let Knock Out patch me up afterwards. If he wasn’t…” 

Starscream stopped again, checking Smokescreen’s reaction to his story. Just as he hoped, the younger bot was fully engrossed, looking as though he was watching one of those human movies some bots seemed obsessed with these days.

“It’s okay, you can tell me,” Smokescreen coaxed him into finishing. “Like I said, I won’t tell anyone.”

Starscream let out a shaky sigh before looking up at the ceiling, bracing himself for what he was about to say.

“If his lordship was still feeling enraged after my punishment, he’d lock me down here, in the brig with no energon or medical treatment for weeks on end. Every time he did it, I was afraid I would die. There were times I got close,” he let out a humorless laugh. “So you can see why being down here doesn’t bring back the fondest of memories.”

Smokescreen’s optics widened, before narrowing in anger. “Everyone always told me that Megatron was a creep, but even for him that’s messed up.” He shifted his sitting position so that he was sitting cross-legged from Starscream. 

“I know I said I promised I wouldn’t say anything, but if Ratchet and Ultra Magnus knew what you’ve been through, I bet we could figure something out and get you out of here! If you’d let me talk to them-”

“I really doubt hearing about my nightmares will sway their opinion,” Starscream sulked. “That’s the whole point. They _want_ me to suffer.”

“Not like that,” Smokescreen insisted. “They care about people, they want to follow Optimus’s example! He always told us that freedom is the right of all sentient beings-”

“Yes, yes! Spare me the speech,” Starscream snapped. He sighed, forcing himself to get his anger under control. He needed Smokescreen on his side.

“What I mean is, your Autobots are not as noble as they seem. If you think they’re above petty vengeances you’re sorely mistaken.”

Smokescreen sighed. “Look, I know it’s hard to see right now, but we’re all really just trying to do what’s best for everyone.”  
  
“Then why did Ratchet put a bomb in my head?” he snapped, narrowing his optics. “Were they following the Prime’s example then?”

This announcement made him freeze. “They _what_?!” Smokescreen’s optics practically bulged out of their sockets. “I mean- it has to be a mistake? Are you sure?”

“I was there when your doctor inserted it inside of my helm,” he said, tapping the area where it was placed. “Tell me Smokescreen: if none of this is personal, then why is Knock Out free to walk about wherever he feels with only a tracker while I’m stuck down here, put in a state where your dear Autobots could blow me to bits with the press of a button?”

Smokescreen opened his mouth to speak, but closed it after a moment in silence. “I-I’ll talk to them. There must be _some_ explanation. I know these guys, and they’d never do something like that without a really good reason.”   
  
“You think you know them? How long has it been since you joined Team Prime? A solar cycle? Two at the most?” He sneered, eyeing the younger bot. “I’ve been fighting them longer than you’ve been alive.”

“Yeah well,” he started, his optics narrowed in defiance. “You haven’t been _living_ with them. They’re good bots!”

“Very well then, go ask and see if they can give you a reason that doesn’t offend your Autobot sensibilities,” He smirked. “I’ll be here, waiting.”

Smokescreen’s faceplate twitched in hesitation for a moment before he smoothed it into a look of determination. “Fine, I will! I’ll prove to you that the Autobots are the good guys!”

Starscream grinned. “Of course they are. And I’m sure that no matter what, you’d want to do the right thing and make Optimus proud? Even if it means going against your friends?”

Smokescreen’s door wings twitched in anxiety before he walked away from the Seeker towards the door.

***

Smokescreen took a deep vent in and out as he stood in front of Ratchet’s medbay. He didn’t need to be nervous; as soon as he asked about Starscream, he was sure the doctor would clear everything up. All he had to do was knock on the door and ask to come in-

He let out a yelp of surprise when the door hit him in the faceplates. Ratchet stopped when he noticed the sports car cursing and rubbing his forehead.

“Smokescreen!” he yelled in surprise. “What on Cybertron are you doing?”

“Ratchet!” he said, his voice high pitched with anxiety. He cleared his vocalizer with a cough. “Um, hey. I was wondering if we could talk?”

The medic gave him a confused look before gesturing his arm towards the break room. “Well, I was just about to take a break to refuel, but if you don’t mind talking and drinking, I suppose we can make do.”

As the two bots made their way into the tiny room and started filling up their cubes, Ratchet turned towards Smokescreen. “So, what exactly did you want to talk about?”

“Well, it’s about Starscream,” he said, keeping his optics on his energon. “I was just wondering, are all these precautions... necessary?”

“Necessary?!” Ratchet gave the younger bot an incredulous look. “Of course they’re necessary! That son of a fragger is slipperier than a sparkling after an oil bath!”

“I know he’s not the most trustworthiest of bots, but like… isn’t keeping him down there in the darkness bad for his mental health?” He gave off what he hoped was a casual smile. “I mean, we don’t need him to go even crazier, right?”

“Starscream is already as crazy as he can get,” Ratchet snapped back. “And besides, it would be bad for _our_ mental health if we allowed him to roam free. Especially for Arcee. You can’t honestly expect her to have to face the mech who killed her partner everyday?”

“Well, no…” Smokescreen sighed, fidgeting with his cube. His mind quickly tried to think of a reason why Starscream should be released. “I remember watching a documentary that Jack showed me about human prisoners who live in solitary confinement, and it can really mess them up if they’re left like that for too long. Isn’t it the same for bots?”

Ratchet narrowed his optics. “Why are you so interested in Starscream?” 

“I’m not!” Smokescreen protested. “I just think Optimus would want us to show a little compassion is all.”

“We are,” Ratchet said. “If it wasn’t for Optimus, Starscream would be out on his silver metal aft right now trying to escape the Predacons.”

“Would Optimus have approved of putting a bomb inside of a prisoner of war?!” Smokescreen snapped.

Ratchet froze, his optics wide. “Who told you about that?”

“I overheard Ultra Magnus talking,” he lied. He felt Ratchet’s optics boring into him. He looked down and took another drink of energon. 

The medic sighed. “It was an I/D chip, one of Wheeljack’s inventions,” he took a drink from his own cube. “It’s not going to hurt him unless he does something stupid. It’s… well, it wasn’t my first choice, but it’s a necessary evil. That mech can’t be trusted; he’s vicious to his enemies and even worse to his allies. If you knew about even _half_ of the things he’s done-” 

“I know he’s a bad guy, alright?” Smokescreen interjected. “But so was Knock Out, and yet we haven’t been treating him like we have Starscream.”

“It’s not that simple,” Ratchet explained. “Yes, Knock Out was a Decepticon, but he hasn’t caused nearly the amount of damage that Starscream has. Megatron may have started the war, but Starscream was right there from the beginning, whispering in his ear and encouraging his brutality. When he wasn’t plotting to kill him so he could have his job for himself.”

“I’m not saying it wasn’t a bad thing he did, and I understand that Arcee is angry. But I don’t know… doesn’t putting a bomb or a UD chip or whatever in someone’s head sound like something a Decepticon would do?”

Ratchet sighed. “I know this must be confusing, but trust me when I say that this is no overreaction,” Ratchet said. “He was a Decepticon long before the war started, and will probably continue to be one until he joins the Allspark.”

Smokescreen gave Ratchet a look of confusion. “What do you mean?” 

“He murdered his own best friend in cold blood,” Ratchet explained. Smokescreen looked at him with wide optics. “I was working at the Iacon Science Academy as a professor while he was a student. I saw how he treated people, how he could be cruel even to his best and only friend. Skyfire swore he was a good bot underneath all the bluster, and it ended up costing him his life.” Ratchet took another swig of energon. “ _That’s_ what happens when you give Starscream the benefit of the doubt. And I'll be damned if I let that happen to any of us.”


End file.
